Canadian right-hander Michael Soroka agreed to a $9 million contract for the 2025 season with the Washington Nationals, who are in need of pitching as their rebuild continues and hope the 2019 NL All-Star can show the form he displayed before a pair of significant leg injuries.
The 27-year-old from Calgary went 0-10 with a 4.74 ERA in 79 2/3 innings across 25 appearances for the Chicago White Sox last season, including nine starts. The White Sox finished 41-121, breaking the post-1900 major league record for losses in a season.
He represents the first noteworthy addition Washington general manager Mike Rizzo has made this offseason. The Nationals are coming off their second consecutive 71-91 record, their fifth losing season in a row since winning the 2019 World Series.
No players remain on Washington’s roster from that championship team.
Soroka went 13-4 with a 2.68 ERA for the Atlanta Braves, one of the Nationals’ division rivals, in 2019, his first full season in the major leagues. He came in second behind New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso in NL Rookie of the Year voting and sixth in NL Cy Young Award voting.
But in his third start of the COVID-delayed 2020 season, Soroka tore his right Achilles tendon during a routine fielding play. After a follow-up procedure and nine months of rehab, he injured the same tendon while walking into Atlanta’s ballpark.
He missed the entire regular season in 2021 and 2022, then was 2-2 with a 6.40 ERA for the Braves in 2023 in seven appearances, six of them starts.
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Atlanta traded Soroka to the White Sox in November 2023 as a part of a five-player swap that sent lefty reliever Aaron Bummer to Chicago.
Soroka’s deal with Washington allows Soroka to earn $25,000 for an All-Star election or selection, $100,000 for league MVP honors, $100,000 for a Cy Young Award, $50,000 for second- through fifth-place finishes in Cy Young voting, $100,000 for World Series MVP, $75,000 for League Championship MVP, $100,000 for comeback player of the year, $25,000 for a Gold Glove award and $50,000 for a Silver Slugger.
–with files from The Associated Press’ Ronald Blum
© 2024 The Canadian Press